"You're joking? He really said that?" CC shouted into the phone. "I can't believe the nerve of that man. Although it doesn't surprise me, he will do anything to get under my skin and he thinks that using you will be the drive I need to rush back into his good graces. What did you tell him? Did you give him an answer?" CC rambled her questions so quickly that Niles didn't have the opportunity to reply.

"Calm down there, Babs. Of course I didn't give him an answer. I told him that I already had a date planned with Johnny and Jack that was much more pressing than his offer." Her frustration on the other end of the phone was exactly what he expected from her. Her response though was not.

"He's using you as a pawn, Niles." She whispered. "He only offered you this position to get back at me. You know for a fact he wouldn't have offered it to you otherwise."

"I see. You don't think I could handle it do you?" He questioned her.

"Niles, that's not what I am saying. You could handle the position just as well as I have. What I am saying is, is that Maxwell Sheffield, the man who wouldn't even give your play the time of day, wouldn't be offering you this position on a whim if he wasn't desperate. And I am not saying that to hurt you. As a matter of fact, if I didn't think you were good enough I wouldn't have made the bet. You deserve more, more than even Maxwell Sheffield can give you. It isn't fair the way he treats you, Niles."

"Who are you and what have you done with my favorite bleach blonde socialite?"

"Can't you be serious for one moment?"

"What do you expect me to do?"

"You could prove me wrong and I could uphold my end of the bargain. If John wanted me to run his company so badly, I doubt he would have a problem with another new addition, especially one who happens to have a background in both law and in the theater."

"You want me to quit my job here?"

"I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to. I'm just trying to give you the out that you deserve. Sure we have fought for years on end and we have tormented each other but we have always been placed at the same level, doing all of Maxwell Sheffield's work. You have gone above and beyond what was asked of you years ago. You have fulfilled your duty to him and his family. Don't you think that you should finally be allowed your own happiness?"

"I suppose so." Niles lied back on his bed and cradled the phone with his hand. "I just didn't think that you would be the one giving me the opportunity to leave."

"Even if you don't leave immediately, the bargain will still be on the table." His end of the phone was silent. "If you want to stay, Niles, that is completely up to you."

"I don't know what to say, Miss Babcock."

"Say that you will at least consider taking my offer. I can guarantee that you would be getting paid much more than you have ever received from him. And you will be doing legitimate work while being able to visit your family when you please." She paused for a second. "You would get to live up to your full potential. Just think, you wouldn't be asked to make tea when you are in the middle of reading a script or asked to go clean the Boy's bathroom the second it turned it a disaster area."

"This isn't a decision that I can make right away. You must understand that I have a lot on the line here."

"I get that, Niles, I do." CC tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear and held the phone closer. "And I understand if this is a lot to take on, I mean I was basically just put in the same situation. Please, just take some time to consider your options. Whether you decide you want to take my offer tomorrow or six months from now, there will be a spot for you."

"And if I decide to stay you won't hold it over my head?" He asked as he leaned back into his pillows.

"There is no doubt that I will hold your nasty feather duster over your head because of your stupidity."

"Just as I thought." Her chuckle could be heard over the phone. Niles closed his eyes and savored the sound of her laughing so freely after something he said.

Suddenly the conversation got very serious.

"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow." She said. "I can't believe I'm doing it but I am finally leaving New York."

"But for bigger and better things, Babs." His eyes were squeezed shut as he considered not seeing her every day, a thought that had been on his mind for quite some time. His biggest muse was going to be in London and until he could make up his mind he would be scrubbing toilets and dusting shelves. "Mum is very pleased that you will be spending some time with her. I believe she already has the guest room made up for you."

"You'll take me to the airport right?"

"Wouldn't you rather travel on your broom? I would think that you would get there faster."

"Very funny, Rochester." She let out a sigh as she pet Chester who had jumped up onto her bed beside her. "I'm going to miss this."

"What exactly are you going to miss?"

"Me insulting you for borrowing Maxwell's suits. You calling me a cow. Me gluing your feather duster to the table. You putting dish water in my coffee."

"Some of our finer work if you ask me."

"Exactly."

That wasn't the only thing she was going to miss but it was the only thing she was willing to admit. She didn't say that she was going to miss looking at him as he dusted or the look in his eyes after he threw a good zinger his way. What she was really going to miss was catching him glimpsing at her out the corner of her eye when he didn't think she was looking and the rare tender moments between them.

She wouldn't admit the feeling deep inside of her that said they were perfect for each other, that Maxwell Sheffield was just a pawn in the game of her life. He was the piece that she could risk losing if he was one of the last pieces left on the board. The piece she was meant to protect however, was the king. And the King's identity was something that she wouldn't share with anyone other than herself. And as she had seen in the past few days, even when you thought someone was on your side even the most loyal pawns have a way of playing nasty and deceiving you. Maxwell Sheffield was the prime example.

He was distracted and only loyal when he got what he wanted in return. She wasted too many years being a pawn in his own game of life to get wrapped up in it again. So she took the chance to move on to bigger and better things. If only Niles would be able to do the same.

There was some mumbling on Niles end of the line and she knew that their conversation was about to come to its end though she desperately wanted him to make up his mind.

"I need to go." He said almost sullenly. "Eleven AM tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes Niles." She whispered in response, her eyes falling shut.

"I will think it over, Cruella." He answered the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"Good night, Mr. Clean."

"Goodnight, My Witch."

His Witch?